


Darker Dipper

by AppleOfEris



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill Cipher Being Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, Character Death, Demon Dipper Pines, Demons, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, Magic Dipper Pines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 14:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17809475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleOfEris/pseuds/AppleOfEris
Summary: When a pine tree falls on Dipper, he figures this ironic accident will be the end of him. Thanks to a large amount of magic and fluke, Dipper becomes the thing he always thought he hated.





	1. Chapter 1

I’ve always appreciated irony, in a somewhat morbid way. Like how lazy Susan, Gravity Falls finest pastry backer, had lost her sense of taste decades ago from one too many hot pies. Or how a local fireman drowned in his kids swimming pool after a night of rescuing people from a burning building. It’s kind of dark, but I can’t help find it funny.

Maybe that’s why I’m going to die like this…it’s karma for laughing at other ironic deaths. Because I’m certainly not finding my fate funny now… bleeding out beneath the trunk of a massive pine tree in the middle of the forest. I really thought when I died, it would be a bit more heroic. In the back of my mind I always kind of assumed it would involve monsters and demons, and one great sacrifice to save my sister and the world. Instead, I have been thwarted by a pine tree.

I hope they never find my body. Mabel can continue her life thinking I’ve been whisked off on a great adventure, perhaps traveling dimensions and serving a greater purpose. It makes me cringe to think of her face when she realizes what a mundane end I have met.

It’s getting steadily darker, and I can feel myself fading with the light. My entire torso is shredded and soaked in blood, and I can feel my shattered ribs biting into my organs with each breath. I have no idea how I’m still alive, but I know it won’t be for much longer.

“Oh my golly gosh…. What do WE HAVE HERE!”  
If I had any adrenaline left in my body I would have jumped. A man in black jeans and a yellow hoodie appears in my view. I twist my neck awkwardly to see his face, and gasp when I do. Though he looks normal for the most part, his eyes glow an ethereal gold. Small fangs extend from his mouth, which is twisted in a nasty smirk.

“Bill,” I gasp, struggling to comprehend the sight before me.

“Yup!” he says, sounding confusingly young.  
“In the flesh!” he exclaims, waiving his newly human arms around. Golden sparks fly off his fingertips.  
“Well, you know, more or less. This is my new form now! It allows me to go between the dreamscape and the real world effortlessly! Pretty neat, huh?”  
I have trouble concentrating on what he’s saying. Bill is human now? Or something? I press my trembling hand to my face. I doesn’t matter now, anyway, I can feel myself slipping deeper into the darkness.

“Now HOLD ON KID, why the rush?” Bill clicks his fingers and a wave of clarity rushes over me. I can still feel the pain, so I know he hasn’t healed me… more like put me on temporary life support.  
“You haven’t even heard my proposition yet, Pine Tree.” He chuckles.

I groan. It’s been years since Bill possessed me, but I haven’t forgotten my lesson. Bill only makes deals that benefit Bill.  
“No Bill,” I cough, my chest thick with blood, “Just let me die in peace.”

“Poor Pine Tree,” he coos, crouching down beside my head.  
“I can’t just let you die. You see, when you defeated me, you took something of mine, and I really need it back.”

I ignore him resolutely, despite my burning curiosity.

Bill leans right up close to my face. I close my eyes before they can make contact with his. Bill smells like fire and smoke and fear.  
“When one demon betters another demon, we have the choice of consuming the power of the other demon.” He whispers, and despite his proximity I fail to feel breath upon my cheek.

“You, Dipper Pines, had just enough of your own magical power that you robbed me of at least half mine before I got away. It’s attached itself quiet firmly to your soul, otherwise I would simply take it back.” At this point he frowns.  
“It means that if you die, your soul will take all that power with you, and we simply can’t have that.” He snarls and grabs my throat. 

“So I need you to find that power, okay kid? Search deep down, it won’t be hard to grab a hold of when you know where to look.” He says this so sweetly, it almost sounds like a suggestion. 

I mull it over for a moment. It can’t be a trick, can it? Even if it is, what do I have left to loose? I turn my focus inward and try find that power he claims I have. Within seconds I can feel something, like a low warm thrumming within my blood itself. 

“I c-can feel ‘lit,” I warble, losing the ability to talk within my stiffening body. 

“Great!” he exclaims, and places a hand on my neck. “Now grab onto it as tight as you can.” 

I nod weakly. I can feel the power washing over me, filling me, becoming a part of me that transcends physicality. 

“You got it?” he asks, and I nod again.  
“Nice work!” he praises. I open my eyes just as he snaps my neck. 

 

 

…  
Everything is soft. The whole world, soft like wet clay, waiting to be shaped. I reach out with my mind, impossible power surging within me, but something holds me back. It isn’t a bad something, so I let it. Even if it is weaker than me, it feels like kin. 

I can feel it trying to help me…its bundling all my energy together, pulling me back into one place instead of everywhere. The closer together I am, the more lucid I get. Little things start coming back to me… Mabel, my sister… Dipper, my name… pine tree? Everything is still too hazy to make out. I let this energy… Bill… gently shut my mental eye, and I fall into a deep sleep. 

I shoot back into awareness with a billion memories buzzing within my head. If I have a head, I realize with alarm. As soon as the thought comes to me I can feel the buzz of energy that forms my existence harden into a human form. 

“Hey there, kid.” Bill says, and I flinch, “I figured you’d end up back in this form, but you had me worried for a while.” His voice is disconcertingly affectionate. 

I glance around. We’re back in the forest. Where my body one was, there’s a dark scorch and several strange marks, like that spot was struck by lightning. 

“How long have I been...” I realize I don’t have the words to describe the state I was in before. 

“In human time, only a couple of hours,” he informs me, and I sigh in relief. 

“It felt like years.” I whisper in awe, and Bill nods.  
“That’s probably because you were absorbing the knowledge of the universe.” He chuckles, “I had thought you’d turn out a knock off dream demon version of me, but you seem to have become something in your own right.” His face darkens briefly.  
“You’ll be stronger than me one day too. It’s a bloody good thing your magic recognizes mine as family.” 

I gape at him for a second, overwhelmed by the information overload.  
“What kind of demon am I, then,” I croak, when I finally find my voice. 

Bill grins a bit too widely. “As far as I can tell… demon of the supernatural.” I know he’s right as soon as he says it. 

“So now what?” I ask, and he looks surprised for a moment.  
“Whatever you want,” he tells me, “It’s not like I can stop you.” 

It occurs to me that I’m still in shock. I just got crushed by a tree, bled out in a forest, learned I had magic, found that magic, had my neck snapped (I throw Bill a dirty look), became omnipresent and powerful, then abruptly returned to a human body. I look down at my hands as a thought occurs to me.  
“This isn’t my body, is it?”

“Nope,” Bill says cheerfully, “it was just the easiest form for you to take.”

“Then why are you human?” 

Bill snorts ruefully.  
“Your fault, actually. When you were taking my powers you accidently gave me some of yours… so now I’m stuck like this. On the upside, I can now enter the physical realm without being summoned. 

I eye him wearily, thinking of all the trouble he could cause. 

He picks up on my train of thought.  
“Chill kid,” he says. “We’re a team now. I can compromise on your interests if you can compromise on mine.”

I decide to ignore him.  
“So if I want to go see Mabel…”

“Go for it, Pine Tree. I’ll be around. Don’t worry, you’ll always be able to find me.”

 

…


	2. Skins

“Dipper!” Mable gushes happily, when I walk into the kitchen. She’s balanced precariously on an ancient stool, and is sorting though a collection of spices in a high up cupboard. 

“Where you been, little bro, I was starting to worry? ” she asks distractedly. 

“I… um,” I gape at her, at a complete loss, “It’s a long story.”

“Yes!” Mable yells, and I flinch. For a second, fine cracks appear across my skin, as my new body struggles to contain my surging power. I breathe deeply, centring the magic and solidifying my form, just as Mable turns to look at me.

“I knew it was here somewhere,” she crows, grasping a brown glass jar triumphantly.

“Mable, is that…”

“Mable syrup, my finest experiment and greatest invention!” she yells dramatically, hoping down from the stool and waving it in my face.

I burst out laughing, the weight of the day slowly leaving my shoulders.

“Mable it’s been five years. There’s no way it’s still edible.” I chuckle.

“On the contrary, brother, syrup is like wine and cheese. It ages over time, which means it’s going to be even better now than before!” she exclaims. 

She pours a large glob of the stuff onto a piece of bread, and smears it with some difficulty.

“Here’s to the haters,” she toasts, and takes a large confident bite of the bread.

The look of disgust and horror on her face is so hilarious I that I burst out with laughter. Mable really is a unicorn in a world of donkeys, I think, mopping the tears from my face. 

Only the thought of what I nearly lost today sobers me up. And the realization that I owe this moment and a thousand future ones, to Bill.

 

I lie in bed and wish sleep was a thing I could still do.

“Bill?” I whisper tentatively into the empty darkness.  
“Hey,” he says, and I jump despite having partially expected his sudden appearance. I look over to see Bill standing beside my bed, peering curiously down at me. I flatten my bed hair self-consciously. 

“What now?” I ask him again, hoping desperately for a solid answer. 

Bill takes this as permission to sit down on my bed. He looks so human, and yet… something about his yellow golden eyes and pale skin make him look not quite real. More like a well painted portrait than a flesh and blood man. 

“We could walk through the forest, test out your powers. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.” He suggests. 

“I guess so,” I concur, getting up quickly. Anything is better laying in bed and dwelling on my loss of humanity. 

We walk quietly out the house. It’s dark, but it doesn’t take me long to realize I don’t need light to guide me. Like a sixth sense, I feel aware of my surroundings, even without being able to see them. 

The forest is nearly pitch black, the looming pines blocking out the few weak beams of light the moon had offered. I shiver, trying not to think too much about the last time I walked between these trees. 

“What exactly do you have in mind?” I ask, breaking the heavy silence. Bill doesn’t answer. I look around, and realize he has disappeared. What if this is a trap? A trick? An attempt for Bill to get his powers back? I trusted him so easily, just because he saved my life once. Once for the dozens of times he’s endangered it! 

If I had a flesh and blood heart, I’m sure it would be pounding. As it is, my magic surges forward, and my hold on my physical appearance is feeble at best. My powers are ready for an attack, but my brain is not. 

“Bill?” I call weakly, “Bill, come on- ” 

Something hard and heavy slams into my side. My magic explodes, crashing outwards like a tsunami. I can feel my form change, to something stronger and bigger, a body that can wield the might of my magic without faltering. 

“Dam Dipper,” Bill’s voice croaks from some distance away.   
“A bit dramatic don’t you think?” 

I open my mouth to respond, but instead of words, strange whining noises emit from my throat. 

Bill walks into view, looking somewhat ruffled. His eyes widen when he takes in my appearance.   
“You’re a dragon, by the way. If you were wondering.” He retorts thinly. 

I huff, and shuffle from a sitting to standing position. I become aware of a couple extra pairs of appendages, and shake them out experimentally. Wings and a tail. I have wings and a tail. Because I am a dragon. Holy shi-

“So, trip successful,” Bill says abruptly, clapping his hands together. I jump, but unlike in a human body, my form doesn’t falter. 

“So you can change back now,” he prompts.   
I growl at him, and enjoy the way he flinches. I must look pretty impressive to make him uneasy. 

I think about human hands and human things, and within seconds I’m small, skinny and weak looking again. My magic buzzes from being restrained once more. 

“Catching on pretty fast,” Bill says haughtily, arms crossed, “Not bad for a beginner.”

In a wave of relief and affection I grab him by the shoulder and ruffle his hair.   
“Couldn’t you have given me a heads up,” I scoff, as he struggles to swat my hands away.   
(I guess magical strength translates to physical strength as well. I put the thought aside for later).

“If I had warned you, then it wouldn’t have worked,” he says petulantly as I release him.   
“Besides, it was way more fun that way.” 

An uncomfortable thought comes to my mind.   
“Bill, would it be possible to hurt each other accidentally? Like if I had been a bit more scared and used a bit more magic…” I bite my lip contemplatively, waiting for his answer. 

He surprises me by taking gentle hold of my arm, and turning me towards him. 

“Honestly, I’m not sure we could hurt each other even if we tried,” he says softly.   
“Our magic is so similar, we could probably push each other around at worst.” 

I feel relieved to know that I can’t hurt him any more than he can hurt me. 

“We should get you home, Dipper,” Bill says, eying the rising sun. 

“Why don’t you call me kid anymore? ” I ask, “Or Pine Tree?”

We reach the edge of the forest, and come to a stop. 

“You’re a demon now,” he murmurs. “On the great chessboard of existence you just got upgraded from a pawn to a player.”   
He smiles ruefully and stares at the ground.   
“I’d be a idiot to let myself underestimate you. I can’t afford to, even if we can’t directly hurt each other.” 

I exhale heavily.   
“That was a lot more honest than I expected,” I say candidly, “But you know you don’t-” 

I look over, and realize he’s already gone. 

I’ve got a long rode ahead of me (eternity), with the moodiest demon the universe will ever know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if u want another chapter😋


	3. Chapter 3

It is just as difficult as one would expect to carry on living and acting like normal when I can feel the overwhelming power of a fledgling demon buzzing beneath my skin. It’s like trying to hold back a tsunami with my bare hands, while simultaneously not looking completely spastic and distracted to my somewhat observant family.

My saving grace has been the nightly escapes into the forest. It’s the only time when I can exhale, and let the gale force magic stream from my body. Bill has managed to be both surprisingly helpful, and endlessly annoying. He tries to teach me how to “demon”, but because our type of power is so different in purpose, the only times he has been actually helpful have been an accident.

I sit at the breakfast table letting my newly acquired perspectives wash over me. Mable sits beside me, looking equally contemplative.

“Hey, Mable. What’s on your mind?” I question, wanting to snap the uncommon expression from her face.  
“You, actually,” she responds softly.  
“You’ve been different lately… distant.”  
She pushes her sugar coated cereal aside, and her face pinches with a look of concern.

“I’m sorry,” I say weakly, the apology sounding thin even to my own ears.  
“I’ve just been going through some stuff. And I will talk to you about it, but only when I’m ready. I kind of need to understand it for myself before I try and explain.”  
My heart aches. I hate keeping things from Mable, but it really is necessary this time. I swear to myself that as soon as I have a handle on my powers, I will spill the beans. My mind flashes back to two nights ago, when I almost burned down half the forest by sneezing too hard, and some of my guilt is alleviated.

Mable sighs dejectedly,  
“I get it Dipper I really do. I just want you to know that no matter who you are, or who you fall in love with… ”-wait, WHAT- “… I have got your back. Okay?”

My mind reels for a second, struggling for a response. There was no way she knew about Bill… was there? What else could she mean by “who I love”- oh. She thought I was gay, or something. Which she wouldn’t be wrong about, but was it still far from the biggest problem on my plate.

“Thanks Mable,” I murmur feebly, “You’re a pretty decent sister.”

“You’re an acceptably average brother yourself,” she teases back. She stands slowly and grabs her breakfast bowl.  
“What’s on the agenda for today, brother mine?” she exclaims. In less than a second she has forcefully dragged her mood from pensive to cheery, and I admire the self control it must have taken. 

“Nothing much,” I say honestly, “Although I do have a trigonometry project I should probably finish up today.”

“Don’t be silly, you still have plenty of time to do your project,” Mable dismisses, clearly in denial of the fact that we’re heading back to school in less than a week.

She throws her dish in the sink with a flourish before continuing her tangent.  
“I have an entire art project due on the second day back, and do I look stressed?”

“No, but you probably should be,” I tease, adding my bowl to the sink.  
“Maybe we should both do some work today…”

“Nope nope nope gotta go, bye!” Mable sings, while making a hasty retreat.

I sigh as the kitchen door slams shut behind her. Mable has always been the “Leave it to the night before and then nearly comatose yourself trying to finish it with enough time to still get at least two hours of sleep” type.

“Hey Dipper!” comes a voice from right beside me. I hardly jump. I’m so used to Bill randomly appearing and yelling greetings in my ear that it barely effects me anymore.

“Hey Bill,” I say dismissively, just to piss him off.

“Is that any way to talk to your favorite demon?” he reprimands, leaning closer so that his cheek touches mine. That makes my jolt in surprise, and the mug in front of me cracks from my sudden magic discharge.

I glare at him, frustrated that he caused me to loose hold of my tenuous control.  
“I am my favorite demon, Bill, now and forever.” I toss the mug in the bin, then turn around to glare at him for a bit. The features of his tanned, sculpted face are loose in amusement. His eyes, which at first had shone an unnerving gold, had melted into honey.

He almost looks approachable. Like a lion someone put in a kitten costume for Halloween… common sense dictates it’s a bad idea to get too close, but the cute little cat dress up almost has you fooled.

Bill chuckles, in a way that sounds less like the horror-evoking thrum of warm blood streaming over jagged glass, and more like water over rocks. Definitely an improvement, I think. Maybe gaining some of my humanity has actually made him more human, not just in body but in mind.

“Let’s do something, Dipper, ” He whines, and stretches himself leisurely across the table.  
“I may even perish from under-simulation if you don’t do something entertaining within the next couple of minutes.”

“Or…” I grab his arm and pull him into a standing position, “We could have a much needed serious conversation about the future.”

Bill frowned with blatant displeasure at the idea.  
“No,” he says petulantly, “Every time I try plan the future things go terribly wrong.”

My mind flashes to the darker memories of weirdmegeddon, and I feel inclined to agree.

“Fine, then!” I huff, “Just one question.”

Bill gestures haughtily for me to continue and I roll my eyes.

“Do you want to… come to school with me? It’s just that vacation is nearly over, and I’m not sure I’m ready to go our separate ways yet.”

My voice wavers at the end, and I look down. It’s hard to admit that I need Bill, possibly in a way I never thought I could.

“Of course I am!” Bill yells with his usual bravo, “You are literally the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me.” He rakes his hand through his immaculate, gold hair.  
“And despite my best attempts, I actually enjoy being around you. Which is much more ideal now that you are a demon too, so thanks for that I guess,” he laughs fondly.

“Thanks Bill,” I whisper. Gently I move to wrap my arms around him. He hesitates at first, but eventually melts into my touch.  
“It must have sucked being alone,” I sympathize.

“Yeah,” he groans, pressing himself a little bit closer, “It really, really did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you like it

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me if u want 2nd chapter


End file.
